The holidays have arrived, and some of us may be feeling a range of emotions, and most likely, some level of stress, especially since we're still amid this global pandemic. I had the pleasure to be invited to present for the monthly Mito Expert Series a couple of weeks ago to discuss accessible ways to relieve stress during the holidays. MitoAction provides support, education, outreach, advocacy, and research support for those affected by mitochondrial disease.
During the presentation, I provided concrete tips to help cope with the stress of the holidays. It was so well received, I decided to write this blog as it may be helpful for others to manage stress during this chaotic time of year. At the end of this blog post, I've also provided links to my talk's audio and video recordings. I urge you to check it out as you might find new ways of reducing stress during the holidays.
Read moreMany chronically ill patients feel as if they should be grateful for their providers at all times, even after medical errors. Anger can tell us when a situation is unfair. It can motivate us to make positive changes to improve the healthcare system. This can be accomplished by self-advocating in-clinic appointments, coping with a new diagnosis, getting honest with providers, or navigating relationships, all while dealing with medical trauma. I hope you can join us at our next discussion group or give us a follow on Instagram: @pop_medicalptsd!
Read moreI like order, structure, predictability, and while I can’t always have all of those things with my illness, there’s a certain amount that I do expect during the workday. But that day, suddenly, it was the opposite of all of those things, now I had a choice: sit here and complain about it or implement a technique I’d been learning in a professional development course. I already knew the first one wasn’t going to work, so I might as well try the second. What I didn’t expect was how amazingly effective it was going to be.
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